Tag: tech news

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Tech News: Space X, Apple AirTag, and Clubhouse on Android

In 2021, every day brings a new advancement in technology. With so much to keep up with, we’re sharing the latest tech specs so that you can keep current in the 21st century. From Apple’s newly unveiled AirTag to Dogecoin on the moon, dive into this week’s tech news below.

Apple Air Tags

Apple AirTag

We’ve all been there, whether it’s misplacing your keys, wallet, remote, or just an endless list of easily losable items. Well, Apple has joined the tracking game after unveiling their Apple AirTag during last month’s summit. The AirTag went on sale April 40 and start at $29, with the option to add Hermes accessories for a heftier price tag. While earlier this week it was reported that a security researcher was able to hack into the tags, it seems that they remain a rival competitor to Tile. This is due to the AirTag using the ‘Find My iPhone’ network and Apple’s privacy commitment. With any new product, only time will tell how well the new product fares.

Clubhouse on Android

If you have heard of Clubhouse but have not used it, you are probably an Android user or a social media minimalist. Either way, the announcement from the popular app that they will be expanding availability to the Google Play store is significant news. After almost a year of iOS exclusivity, the social media audio app Clubhouse remains in high demand. Clubhouse gained traction by giving users the chance to speak to and learn from power-players and celebrities in a forum that combines the style of Ted Talks and Q&As into joinable rooms. The app has also stated the platform will remain invite-only for now, meaning it’s still not open to just anyone, “as part of the effort to keep the growth measured.” 

Twitter Updates

While Twitter’s updates this week do not include an edit button (someday!), they do include new features that user’s have already begun to enjoy. On May 5, the social media app ditched Twitter cropping (although you can still use it if you prefer) and added TipJar and Spaces. While the latter two are currently only available to specific users, they mark a much-needed upgrade for the app. With Twitter crop gone, users on iOS and Android will be able to upload 4k images without any worry over cut off and quality. The TipJar feature provides users with a new way to send each other money via CashApp. Spaces will likely serve as a competitor to Clubhouse as a drop-in audio space, but currently, the feature is only for users with followings of 600 or more. Send Tweet ➡️

Space X

Elon Musks’ hosting duties for the May 10 episode of SNL was not the only breaking news of the day for the space company CEO. On Saturday, Space X conducted its 10th launch of a reused rocket. While the report would not necessarily be placed in the recycling category bin, it does mark a new record for the orbital booster. In the case of Space X, they serve as a shift in the space race from disposable to reusable rockets, with overall less hassle for all.

Dogecoin on the Moon

The internet meme turned cryptocurrency has shifted from taking the world by storm to launching straight to the moon. It was announced earlier in the week that Space X is now accepting Dogecoin, which will exclusively pay into launching DOGE-1, an upcoming satellite. The proposed launch will gather “lunar-spatial intelligence” using onboard cameras and sensors. Geometric Energy Corporation is footing the bill and take-off, which will be flown up on a Falcon 9 rocket in the first quarter of 2022.

Zoom Launches Immersive New Background

Do you miss sitting communally with colleagues, family, or friends? Well, Zoom, thought you did and created a new immersive experience for your next Zoom meeting. The new background places you virtually next to the rest of your party. The latest update is something to be seen in what will surely change the dynamic at Thanksgiving should you choose to attend as an avatar. According to CNET, “The feature, called Immersive View, can place up to 25 participants in one meeting space.” If anything, the new background feature will serve as a needed break from feeling like you’re on an episode of ‘Hollywood Squares.’

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Tech News: How AI Can Help Humanity

Whether it’s from watching humans being hunted by terminators or ensnared in the Matrix, many have been programmed to fear the machines of the future. And it’s not only science fiction creators sounding alarms. Most recently,  Google CEO Sundar Pichai issued a red alert, coming out in favor of strictly regulating the new technology. This echoes similar warnings from Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking.

But is AI really all doom and gloom? In fact, there are several ways in which AI could potentially benefit humanity, rather than harming or obliterating it. If you’re not exactly sure what AI is, it essentially describes machines that think and act as well as humans. Applied AI is already here, enabling Internet searches, for example. The next advancement is called artificial general intelligence, which will allow systems to do anything a person can do.

Before you despair that your phone will soon make you its pet, let’s break down some of the areas in which AI could improve all our lives.

Global Epidemics

During an outbreak, every second counts. Which makes AI uniquely suited to identifying hot zones and helping health officials get ahead of a virus. At the outset of the coronavirus crisis, for example, a Canadian monitoring platform, Bluedot, was the first to identify the outbreak, using an AI algorithm that scans news reports and airline ticketing data to track diseases. Bluedot had already predicted the location of the Zika outbreak in South Florida.

Medicine

The potential benefits are here obvious: faster and more accurate diagnosis, as well as more targeted medical treatment. AI may also bring medical knowledge and treatment to populations with limited access to health care. Currently, AI informs Radiosurgery, which helps surgeons operate on tumors without making an incision.

Quality of Life

AI can make life simpler and easier by freeing people from tedious tasks, say its proponents. As an example, they point to the financial sector and how AI applications have made banking faster and simpler for everyone.

Weather Forecasting

AI has been critical to climate forecasting and the area of Climate Informatics. And new data-powered models are helping forecasters track and identify severe storms more accurately before they strike.

Disaster response

In addition to improving and powering early-warning systems as well as identifying areas of vulnerability, AI algorithms can be used to simulate conditions, improving disaster preparation plans and leading to more effective, life-saving response strategies. This could prove especially useful in California, considering the threat of wildfires and earthquakes.

Exploration

As humans push further to explore not only hostile areas of our planet, but space itself, AI and robotics will be critical to traveling to environments where people can’t survive.

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Tech News: Uber Helicopter Service

Tech News: Uber Helicopter Service

Uber, the ride-hail company, launched a premium helicopter service in New York City. This service consists of 8-minute flights to John F. Kennedy Airport and Newark Airport from Downtown Manhattan. Uber intends to expand the service to more US cities. They will eventually offer this option to daily commuters who travel between different parts of the city.

This prestigious service is a reference to the premise Uber launched with a decade ago: offer a sleek and convenient transportation option to customers with too much disposable income so they can feel like “ballers” while traveling. This time, the question is whether Uber can convince the Wall Street crowd, near the helipad, to upgrade from a car to a chopper.

The cost is approximately $205 for a one-way Uber Helicopter flight from Manhattan to the JFK airport. It takes approximately 50 minutes to complete. That includes the fact that you need to take an Uber Black Car to get to the helicopter pad which could take from 10-20 minutes based on where you are being picked up in the city.

Considering above factors, it can take about the same amount of time to order an UberX and travel to the airport. 90% of the time, that will be more cost effective than the Uber Helicopter. As Uber expands its fleet of cars to scooters, bikes and now helicopters, it wants to give users more options for getting from one place to another. It envisions replacing helicopter trips with autonomous electric flying cars to make transportation faster and (in theory) safer. Under the Uber Air division, it’s working on a class of flying electric vehicles that can take off and land vertically. The company is expected to launch its first set of electric aircraft in Dallas, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, in 2023.

Uber helicopters probably won’t help to reduce the traffic in big cities like LA or New York. However, they do add an interesting way of travel for people who are looking for a more sophisticated experience. The real highlight of the Uber Helicopter trip is the view of New York from above the city. There’s nothing more astounding than amazing view of your city!

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Tech News: Autonomous Delivery Vehicles

Autonomous Delivery Vehicles Authorized For Commercial Use In California

Are you ready to be stuck in traffic behind armies of autonomous delivery robots? If you live in California, you can have all your online orders delivered by autonomous delivery robots. Starting January 17, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles will start approving permits for self-driving delivery vehicles. These permits allow for testing and commercial use. There are separate permits for vehicles with and without backup drivers.

“The adoption of these regulations means Californians soon could receive deliveries from an autonomous vehicle provided the company fulfills the requirements” DMV Director Steve Gordon said.

The requirements for testing with a driver include certifying that the vehicles have been tested in controlled conditions, maintaining a training program for test drivers, and ensuring that the drivers have a clean record and are capable of taking over manual control.

Requirements for driverless testing include certifying Level 4 or 5 autonomous capability, having a remote operator, and having a “law enforcement interaction plan” among other things.

This comes after Waymo and other AV companies urged the state’s DMV to allow autonomous delivery vehicles at a hearing earlier this year. Just over a year ago, Waymo got the first permit from the state to test driverless vehicles without a backup driver.

What happens if you get into a wreck with an autonomous delivery vehicle? Do you just sharpie your insurance information on the damaged part of the vehicle? No word yet, but the delivery company should have all the video data they need to protect themselves.

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